#meanwhile in deseret

[kontextmaschine]

The Idaho potato industry is actually an offshoot of Mormonism; the desert-exiled tribe set up farms in the irrigated borderlands to grow the nutritious root vegetables to cater their funerals.

[nerdygaymormon]

A change that will lead to more

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has made some important positive changes over the past 15 years, but still has a long ways to go. 

The Church now says it doesn’t know why people are gay or trans, recognizes that it may biological and people do not choose these feelings or attractions

The Church supports anti-discrimination laws and benefits like health insurance & property rights to gay individuals and couples as long as there’s an exemption for churches

Makes statements against bullying and being unkind to queer people

Deseret Book has published several books about gay men who live LDS standards, some remaining celibate & single, others who marry women

BYU Honor Code section about homosexuality was revised several times and eventually removed altogether

The Church still encourages people to use “same-sex attraction,” but now says it’s also okay to use the labels gay, lesbian and bisexual

It’s okay to support gay marriage and not exclude gay family members from family activities, there won’t be church punishment for these things

LDS Family Services ceases offering sexual-orientation change efforts

The change to saying sexuality and gender identity are not something a person chooses, it’s out of our control, that is the most important change, in my opinion.

As a result of that change in belief, these other changes came to be: a stop in conversion therapy, and no more pressuring gay people into mixed-orienation marriages. They also no longer say to cut off or limit contact with your queer child.

More changes are needed.

One change that I think is happening now is the straight community learning they need to make spaces where LGBTQ+ people are safe. Church leaders have issued warnings against bullying and being unkind to LGBTQ+ people. I think the next obvious step of this will be to show acceptance and be welcoming.

If gender identity & sexual orientation are not our choices and not something we can choose to change, then it will be important for the Church to address how church activity negatively impacts the mental health of queer people and take steps to reduce this harm. Too many people think queerness is the cause of these mental health challenges when the truth is it’s how we’re treated and the negative things we’re taught, the shame we learn to feel.

Relying on straight leaders means this is going to take a long time. Especially since these leaders are quite old and were raised with a bias that will be hard to uproot. For most of their lives they believed that being gay or trans is sinful, that it’s a choice and we can choose to change, when we’re resurrected no one will be queer. 

Meanwhile, a number of straight members aren’t waiting for the top leaders and are taking actions that improve the visibility of queer people and help church members think about us differently. This includes Mama Dragons, Dragon Dads, Lift+Love, Listen Learn & Love, Encircle, Family Fellowship, and I’ll Walk With You 

I think further change isn’t a question of “if,” but “when.” It seems more and more members are less willing to wait and agitating for change now. 

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

January 27, 2021

Heather Cox Richardson

The contours of politics today look much like they did yesterday. President Biden is forging ahead through executive actions—today pausing oil and gas leases while switching the government to electric vehicles— while the two factions in the Republican Party claw for supremacy.

Dead center of both of these political fights is the future of this country. Will Trump and his supporters seize control of the government—by means legal or illegal—or will the country steer itself back to the norms and values of democracy?

The dangers of Trumpism are becoming clearer each day. Today, for the first time, the Department of Homeland Security issued a national terrorism bulletin that warned of violence from domestic extremists angry over “perceived grievances fueled by false narratives” and emboldened by the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. The bulletin expires at the end of April.

Law enforcement has moved National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., in part to guard against violence on March 4, a day that QAnon supporters who still believe Trump is part of an elaborate trick to reclaim the nation from the Democrats think will be the day on which the former president is finally sworn in for his second term. (March 4 was the nation’s original inauguration date; it changed under Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1937.)

In testimony yesterday, the acting chief of the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington told the House Appropriations Committee that at least 65 officers filed reports of injury after the January 6 attack. The chair of the Capitol Police officers’ union, Gus Papathanasiou, put the number closer to 140. "I have officers who were not issued helmets prior to the attack who have sustained brain injuries. One officer has two cracked ribs and two smashed spinal discs. One officer is going to lose his eye, and another was stabbed with a metal fence stake," he said. One officer died of injuries sustained on January 6. Two officers have since taken their own lives.

Meanwhile, a video emerged today of the new Republican representative from Georgia, Marjorie Taylor Greene, harassing David Hogg, who survived the mass shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on Valentine’s Day 2018. Greene followed Hogg down the street in Washington, D.C., in March 2019, with an accomplice filming as she badgered him, called him a crisis actor paid by George Soros, told him she was armed, demanded he talk to her, and called him a coward. He walked on, without engaging her.

The video emerged the day after reporters discovered old Facebook activity on Greene’s page in which she responded positively to a commenter talking of hanging former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama and another talking of killing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

While Representative Jimmy Gomez (D-CA) has called for Greene’s expulsion from Congress, leading Republicans in the House responded to the Facebook news simply by saying they condemned violent rhetoric on both sides. Today, Republican House leadership assigned her to the Education and Labor Committee.

Republican lawmakers seem to be siding with Trump’s supporters, turning against the ten House Republicans who voted for Trump’s impeachment. In the House, Trump supporters are trying to throw Liz Cheney (R-WY) out of her spot in the party’s leadership, and the former president’s new political action committee is ginning up anger against her as it urges primary challengers to jump into the race in 2022.

Increasingly, Republican lawmakers are pushing to let Trump off the hook on impeachment. In the Senate yesterday, Rand Paul (R-KY) insisted that a former president could not be tried on an impeachment charge, and 45 Republicans agreed with him. This is not necessarily a signal of how the eventual Senate vote will go, but Paul said it was: he insisted this was a sign that Trump would not be convicted. Republican lawmakers seem to be coming down on Trump’s side as polls show that while most Americans are horrified by the attack on the Capitol and blame Trump for it, most Republicans- 78%-- don’t blame him. Republican lawmakers are accusing Democrats of divisiveness in their move to hold the president accountable.

Some Republicans are, though, alarmed at the idea that a president might get away with inciting an insurrection that endangered our elected representatives and our government itself—remember the next three people in line for the presidency were in the Capitol when the rioters stormed it—and which came perilously close to making good on threats against individuals, including then-vice president Mike Pence.

Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) dismissed the idea that the country could have unity without addressing the causes of the current anger. “I say, first of all, have you gone out publicly and said that there was not widespread voter fraud and that Joe Biden is the legitimate president of the United States? If you said that, then I’m happy to listen to you talk about other things that might inflame anger and divisiveness,” he explained to Dennis Romboy of Deseret News. “But if you haven’t said that, that’s really what’s at the source of the anger right now.”

Also notable is the firm stance of Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), who has bucked his party to speak out against the former president’s attacks on the election and incitement of the rioters. “I’ve felt very isolated in my party,” Kinzinger told Ellen McCarthy of the Washington Post.

While the Republican Party’s apparent embrace of Trump and all he now stands for is grabbing headlines, Biden and his administration officials are taking on the radicalization of his opponents in a new and promising way. They are demonstrating an approach to sidelining Trumpism by shifting the focus off the exhausting drama of the former president and his supporters and onto a functioning government that is working for ordinary Americans.

When a reporter today asked White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki if the administration had any comment on Greene, Psaki made it clear the administration was not going to give any oxygen to her or those like her. “We don’t, and I am not going to speak further about her, I think, in this briefing room,” Psaki said.

While Biden is starving the Republicans of oxygen, he is also working to address the conditions that have fed desperate conspiracy theories and divisions. In America, such societal breakdown is associated with periods in which ordinary people face economic hardship. Biden is moving quickly on a range of issues that are popular among ordinary voters of both parties, including addressing the country’s extreme inequality. After all, one of the complaints that drew voters to an outsider in 2016 was the belief that government no longer worked for the people and needed to be shaken up.

Today’s executive order on addressing climate change talks at length about creating “good-paying union jobs” and “tapping into the talent, grit, and innovation of American workers.” It calls for the government to buy zero-emission vehicles made in the U.S., and to rebuild federal infrastructure, creating construction, manufacturing, engineering, and skilled-trades jobs. Job creation and infrastructure development were both promises the previous president made in 2016 that boosted his support but which never really came to pass. If Biden can actually deliver on them, he could reclaim those Trump voters for the Democrats, as well as addressing climate change and our failing infrastructure.

Biden’s people are also making sure we see a White House that is addressing issues that created concern in the past administration. They are upholding old norms—holding daily press briefings, for example—honoring science, restoring government websites, and treating members of the media with respect.

They seem to be trying to remind us how our democracy is supposed to work.

—-

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[hopefullynoticed]

wolfstar/mardurs era part 3

so i realized i forgot to post a part so i have edited my blog. please read all the other wolfstar stuff.

Sirius catches up and grabs remus’ arm and turns him around “so what are we actually going to be doing? And why do we need the map?”

Remus gives Sirius a quick kiss and grabs his hand pulling him up the stairs “you will see and we need the map so the others won’t find us.”

“I like the sound of that.” Said Sirius as both boys were now taking the stairs two at a time.

“bloody hell james! Why do you have to be such a pig.” Remus says now desperate to find the map amongst all the debris around james’ bed. He finally found it and grabbed sirius’ hand and dragged him into a corridor that was desereted and a roomy broom cupboard halfway down. That was his destination. He pushed Sirius inside and kissed him. Sirius was breathless, and not because they just ran around pretty much every inch of the castle. Sirius needed remus to love him. Before last night he was afraid to hope that his feelings wouldn’t be returned. How could he be?

Sirius pushed remus against the opposite wall and began to kiss remus’ neck. He was going to show remus how much they needed to be together. As remus took off sirius’ shirt he saw all the scars on his back. He pushed Sirius off of him but not way.

“was I doing something wrong?” Sirius said a little concerned.

“no, well yes, but it wasn’t what you were doing. What are these from?” remus said as he traced the scars that littered the back of the boy in front of him. “and why did you try to hide them?”

“oh, those are from my mom, pretty aren’t they? I didn’t want to worry you about what was going on in my life when so much worse was going on in yours.”

Remus leaned forward and kissed his padfoot, “you don’t need to hide anything from me.” He whispered as he pulled Sirius closer and nibbled on his ear. This drove Sirius mad.

 Meanwhile, james had finally caught up with lily. “hey evans.”

“go away james, I am not in the mood.” Purposefully not looking at him.

“lily” he said softly “I just wanted to see if you were ok and to give you your stuff that you left behind.”

Half expecting it to be a joke she slowly turns and sees the genuine concern on his face.

She takes her stuff and gives him a quick hug “thanks” she says forcing a small smile.

“any time, just so you know I am here for you if you need anyone to talk to. I don’t understand why but snape means a lot to you and I know it isn’t easy when they start pushing you away.” He then turns and heads to his next class. Lilly gets swept away by her thoughts and gets lost. While trying to find the right staircase to her next class she finds Sirius and lupin coming out of the broom closet down the hall. She rolls her eyes and strolls upto them “hey guys, I hate to ask, but you and your friends know the castle better than anyone, can you tell me how to get to charms from here?”

Trying to coverup he was caught coming out literally of a closet Sirius said “sure, but it will cost you.” And winked at lily. Remus shoved him playfully, at least he meant to. Sirius was rubbing his arm.

“take this staircase up three flights take a right at the monks and left at the picture of the salem witch trials. You should be able to find your way from there.”

“thanks rem.” As she planted a kiss on his cheek.

This caused a subconscious growl from Sirius, which both lily and remus ignored.

For having just spent a lovely afternoon with remus, Sirius was in a rather foul mood after that. Remus thought his jealousy was a little cute.

[cksmart-world]

SMART BOMB

The completely unnecessary news analysis

by Christopher Smart

March 22, 2022

NOTHING UP HIS SLEEVE — OR ABOVE HIS COLLAR

Have you heard the news: Utah's great American freedom fighter and sleuth who couldn't find prostitutes at the Sundance Film Festival  — Attorney General Sean Reyes — is “considering” running against Sen. Mitt Romney in 2024. Reyes political skills are, shall we say, remarkable, given that his Midas touch often turns events into something that isn't exactly gold — more of a brownish hue. Shortly after the presidential election, Utah's AG scurried to Nevada to help Donald Trump's team investigate election “irregularities,” after every major U.S. news outlet had called the race for Biden. Nevada AG Aaron Ford politely told Reyes to “mind his own [f---ing] business.” In December 2020, Reyes joined a group of 16 other Republican state AGs in a lawsuit to overturn the results of the presidential election. Critics labeled it “dumb” and The Supreme Court rejected it out of hand. The hits just keep coming: In 2016, Reyes and the boys went undercover at Sundance in search of prostitutes. The Deseret News reported this: “They didn't find anything, but say they learned they might not be looking in the right places." Your tax dollars at work! You could be right, Wilson, maybe the Hawaiian shirts gave them away in that sea of black attire.

“I'D RATHER BE A RUSSIAN THAN A DEMOCRAT”

MAGA Russian lovers are having second thoughts — or are suddenly quiet — about their plutonic relationship with Vladdy “My Daddy” Putin. At CPAC this year, Lauren Witzke, said: “Russia is a Christian nationalist nation... I identify more with Putin’s Christian values than I do with Joe Biden.” In August 2018, two men appeared in The Cleveland Plain Dealer wearing T shirts that proclaimed, “I'd Rather Be A Russian Than A Democrat.” After it went viral they said they were “just foolin' around.” Maybe, but evangelist Franklin Graham lauded the Russian dictator for “protecting children from any homosexual agenda or propaganda [like we have here in the U.S.].” When Putin unleashed Russia's military might on Allepo, Syria, a World Heritage Site, reducing it to rubble, rightwing Christians applauded him for protecting Christianity. (We couldn't possibly make this up.) Tens of thousands of civilians were killed. Christian values, indeed. It's no secret that Donald Trump is a Putin toady and that evangelicals believe Trump to be heaven sent to save America from gays, heathens and Democrats. So what if Putin has to kill tens of thousands of innocents to save European Christendom. And please don't ask, what would Jesus do? That wouldn't be fair.

PROTECTING POLICE — CITIZENS, NOT SO MUCH

Utah's law and order lawmakers recently passed legislation that would deny public  access to some police records and that, no doubt, would impede accountability. Meanwhile, Republican legislators refuse to budge on the standard for use of deadly force: When an officer feels threatened or believes others are threatened he may use deadly force. This despite pleas from Salt Lake County D.A. Sim Gill that the law be overhauled. “We are at a point where a legitimately dangerous profession has protections in a disproportionate way to the expectations of our communities.” But hey, here in Utah, cops are trained to shoot first and ask questions later. Case in point: Dillon Taylor, 20, was shot dead outside a convenience store when a cop thought Taylor was about to shoot him. Taylor was not armed but according to Utah law the D.A. had no choice but to find the shooting justified. The civil suit brought by Taylor's family was tossed out of court. The list of tragedies goes on and on. D.A. Gill said the public needs accountability. The trend, however, is in the opposite direction. Republican state Rep. Paul Ray said if people want different outcomes they should lose the attitude. “We're making excuses for people, and I'm done making excuses for people.”

Post script — That's a wrap for another week here at Smart Bomb, where we're done making excuses for the Republican-dominated Utah Legislature and their pledge to take us back to the 1950s. Well, you do make a good point, Wilson, the 1950s are starting to look pretty good (except for civil rights). But remember, Chuck Berry didn't come around until 1955  — one of the first practitioners of rock 'n roll. He released “Maybellene” in 1955, “Roll Over Beethoven in '56, “Rock Roll Music” in '57 and “Johnny B. Goode in '58. And get this: “Johnny B. Goode” was launched into space in 1977 on NASA's Voyager 1 probe along with Mozart and Louis Armstrong — to give extraterrestrials a hint of who we are. You can image how Little Green Men might react when they hear: “Go go/Go Johnny go!/Go, go/Johnny B. Goode!” Of course, we can't ignore Elvis, who rode to fame in 1954 with his cover of Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup's rhythm & blues ballad, “That's All Right.” He backed that up with “Hound Dog” in 1956, Big Mama Thornton's 1952 blues hit. The blues is the foundation for rhythm & blues, which, in turn, led to rock 'n roll and changed the world. Outer space? Maybe, if the Green Men dig “Rock Roll Music with a backbeat you can't lose it.”

Well Wilson, you might be driving a garbage truck today if it weren't for Chuck Berry, Elvis, Buddy Holly and the others. We've come along way and the music has been amazing and a magic balm for our troubled world. So why don't you and the guys in the band give our marvelous Attorney General Sean Reyes some balm for his troubles:

Moonlight over the alley Baby, where I come from There's a poison girl, poison girl

Sister do medicine business Three dollar down for the gun She's a poison girl, poison girl I be waiting uptown While she gone underground for a ride I be waiting uptown While she passes some trick on the side Well, I'm sitting here burning my money It worth nothing if only to score With that poison girl, poison girl There's a place and I know Anybody can go for their price There's a place and I know You be putting your soul up on ice Well, well, mama said, "Son, what is your hurry?" Mama did not even know what I have done For that poison girl, poison girl

(Poison Girl — Chris Whitley)

[1235832]

ReddiT~StreamS!!.@Washington State VS Utah @livestream

Utah State: TV channel, live stream info, start time ... The Washington State Cougars and the Utah State Aggies will face off at 11 p.m. ET ...

🔴🅻🅸🆅🅴🔴⏩👉CLICK HEARE GO LIVE

🔴🅻🅸🆅🅴🔴⏩👉CLICK HEARE GO LIVE

The Deseret News is providing live coverage from tonight’s season opener between Utah State and Washington State. Follow along for updates throughout the night.

FinalUtah State 26, Washington State 23

Utah State got its own sweet taste of Pac-12 After Dark in the first game of the Blake Anderson era.

The Aggies rallied from a 12-point deficit to beat Washington State 26-23 on Saturday night at Martin Field in Pullman, Washington, as Deven Thompkins caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from Arkansas State transfer Logan Bonner with 11 seconds to play for the go-ahead score.

Derek Wright caught a two-point conversion to make it a three-point game. Then the Aggie defense held on the final game for the win.

It was Utah State’s first win over a Power Five program since Utah in 2012, and the Aggies’ first road win over a Power Five program since 1971 against Kansas State.

Bonner completed his final 10 passes of the game, as he led the Aggies’ two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter. Utah State controlled the ball for 9:29 in the final period.

After Washington State started the fourth quarter with its third field goal of the night to push its lead to 23-11, the Aggies responded with a 14-play, 70-yard drive that ended with Utah State’s first touchdown of the season.

The Aggies took 6:38 off the clock with the drive, but USU made it a one-score game with a 2-yard Calvin Tyler Jr. touchdown run with 5:25 to play.

Utah State then forced a three-and-out, giving the Aggies offense one last chance to drive for a potential game-winner, and the Utah State offense delivered. The Aggies finished with 439 yards of total offense to 293 for Washington State.

The Aggies traded off using Bonner and Andrew Peasley at quarterback all night, until Bonner quarterbacked the final two drives of the game. Bonner completed 17 of 24 passes for 143 yards, one touchdown and an interception. Peasley, meanwhile, completed 6 of 12 for 76 yards.

End of 3rd quarterWashington State 20, Utah State 11

Both teams scored twice in the third quarter. Unfortunately for Utah State, it notched a pair of field goals while Washington State had two touchdown drives. That gives the Cougars a nine-point lead going into the final quarter.

[arplis]

Arplis - News: ‘Christmas I Remember Best’: The year Santa Claus saw me naked

Laura Seitz, Deseret News ‘Christmas I Remember Best’ By John Garner This is the sixth of 10 essays selected to be published in the Deseret News annual Christmas writing contest, “Christmas I Remember Best.” “I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus, underneath the mistletoe last night.” Did you ever wonder how emotionally scarring it must be for a child to see his or her saintly mother kissing another man — even Santa Claus (wink, wink)? Well, as a child I experienced something even more traumatic: Santa Claus saw me naked! It’s Saturday night, Christmas Eve, at the home of Catherine and Lynn Garner in Hooper, Utah. Outside, the yard is a winter wonderland of dazzling Christmas lights. An occasional car glides slowly by to marvel at the holiday spectacle, giving my parents a glow of satisfaction. “Perhaps this is the year,” they think, “that we will win the Farm Bureau’s award for Best Display!” Inside, the Christmas tree (actually more of a Christmas shrub — a squat $10 pinion pine purchased at the local Dallas Green Farm and Feed) is sitting in the front room bay window. It’s ablaze with colored lights — the large bulb-type lights rarely used any more, the type that got dangerously hot enough to turn the tree into a pyre of pinion pine. So hot, in fact, that Mother insisted we turn them off every 45 minutes to cool down, “lest we set the house on fire and render ourselves as homeless as Joseph and Mary.” Despite her caution, she frets that the Farm Bureau judges will drive by while the window is dark. In the corner, “The Lawrence Welk Holiday Special” is unfolding on the black and white TV — a ‘wunnaful, wunnaful” extravaganza of Christmas music. Currently, Jo Ann Castle, Mom’s favorite — the true Champagne Lady — is punishing the piano, pounding out a ragtime rendition of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” Mom, herself a play-by-ear pianist known for “jazzing it up,” is always amazed that Jazzy Jo Ann can maintain that smile while fawning into the camera, and never once looking at her plump, ringed fingers while tickling the ivories. Meanwhile, in the bathroom nearby, two buddy-boy brothers — John, age 6, and Jay, age 5, are taking their usual Saturday night bath. Since it is Christmas Eve, Mother has given into our pleas to let us take a bubble bath — an unnecessary extravagance to a hard-working farmer’s wife and mother of eight children who never has time to lollygag in a tub laced with Sardo bath oil beads. Jay and I are giddy and giggly with the thought of Christmas. We have stifled the unthinkable reality that Christmas morning is on a Sunday for the first time in our young lives. It is an unthinkable crime against humanity, more despicable than the Grinch, more hateful than Ebeneezer Scrooge, bleaker than a Christmas sock filled with hard-tack candy and Brazil nuts. But at the moment, we are happily standing in a tub of tepid water, busily sculpting a billowy beard and a frothy mane on each other’s heads, just like Santa’s. Suddenly, the jingling of bells and a hardy, “Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas!” can be heard outside. “It’s Sannee Claws,” Jay whispers. “He’s here,” while giving me the glassy-eyed look of Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer caught in the headlights. And at that very moment, the door (boys at that tender age have not yet learned to lock the bathroom door) bursts open and Santa steps inside. “Ho! Ho! Ho! And who are these naughty, naked boys and what do they want for Christmas?” he booms while reaching into his bag, a red gunny sack that once held beet pulp, also from the Farm and Feed. I don’t recall my reply. I should have wished for a towel, a bathrobe, or better yet, a new pair of flannel Christmas jammies hanging, just out of reach, on the hook behind the door (to be put on after the bath and worn the following morning so we wouldn’t look so “neglected” in the Christmas morning photos). Instead, Santa pulled two candy canes out of his bag — too slender to adequately cover any part of even a boy child’s nakedness. Handing them to us, he bellowed, “Ho! Ho! Ho! And to all a good night!” And in a flurry of bells, he was gone. It was a dozen years before I discovered the true identity of Santa that night: Mr. Gene, a kindly neighboring dairy farmer whose farm bordered my father’s. By then, junior high and high school locker rooms and occasional visits to the doctor had accustomed me to nakedness in the company of other “naughty boys.” But even 50 years later, I carry the emotional scars from having Santa see me naked that Christmas Eve. I will never forget it! He sees you when you’re naked, While standing in the tub. Don’t wonder why I’m all messed up I can tell you, ‘There’s the rub!” John Garner lives in Ogden.

Arplis - News source https://arplis.com/blogs/news/christmas-i-remember-best-the-year-santa-claus-saw-me-naked

[jasperrmgd324-blog]

How Hallmark wrote Lori Loughlin out of 'When Calls the Heart'

"How about she follows that reverend to his town, will get her swerve on with him, and takes her youngsters with her? Seems most rational to me," wrote on Reddit consumer. Lori Loughlin, who performed Abigail Stanton on Hallmark's When Calls the Heart, was charged in an enormous school admissions cheating scandal in March 2019. Initially, Hallmark supposed the sequence as a streaming-solely offering.

Deseret News major menu

An all-new spinoff series, When Hope Calls, is about to debut this summer time on Hallmark Movies Now. Henry (Martin Cummins) suffers more health issues as he offers Lucas (Chris McNally) an ultimatum about Gowen Petroleum. Fiona (Kayla Wallace) helps Florence (Loretta Walsh) practice her substitute as Fiona prepares to depart Hope Valley. Lee’s (Kavan Smith) sister, Susannah (Shauna Johannesen) visits him in Hope Valley as the two try to reconcile their previous. Lucas gives his ideas on Elizabeth's writing; Nathan investigates his father's crime.

That’s when Lee will get the news that his sister is coming to Hope Valley the very next day. Pascale Hutton playfully teased that “I did not learn that scene ‘cause I wasn't in it,” giving Kavan Smith an enormous chuckle over the final “When Calls the Heart” scene of Season 7. Elizabeth and Nathan try to resolve their variations. Elizabeth feels betrayed by Lucas, however helps him get the oil firm's data from Gowen. In our earlier article, we threw the dice around.

In our earlier article, we threw the dice round.

Lee gets a shock that stirs up wounds from his previous.

Krakow isn’t married or in a relationship (or if she is, she hasn’t shared the news with fans).

The next day, Elizabeth runs into Nathan before the varsity day starts.

Meanwhile, ‘When Calls the Heart’ Season 7 also guarantees loads of drama via the lives of its other characters. While Lee makes an enormous revelation about his previous to Rosemary, Faith and Carson’s relationship is confronted with new challenges. When Calls the Heart fans can breathe a sigh of reduction! Erin Krakow, the lead of the favored Hallmark Channel showannounced right now that it has been renewed for season 7 within the wake of former solid member Lori Loughlin’s school admissions scandal.

Lee and Rosemary are challenged with watching Little Jack. Elizabeth takes half the class on a area trip, whereas Carson is the substitute instructor for the rest. The collection shall be again for season 7 in just a few weeks. Remember to check back withTV Shows Aceoften for extra news aboutWhen Calls the Heart. Hallmark has one other deal with in retailer for Hearties.

‘When Calls the Heart’ Season 7: Release date, plot, solid, trailer and all you have to learn about Hallmark's drama collection

Season 7 was the first full season with out Lori Loughlin, who was fired following her arrest within the nationwide faculty bribery scandal. Full House alum Loughlin and her dressmaker husband Mossimo Giannulli have been charged in March 2019 with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, in addition to money laundering, in the school admissions scandal. Loughlin’s character Abigail was written off the present at the finish of season 6 when it was revealed that she se debe reventar las ampollas de quemaduras had traveled “again east” to care for her ailing mother.

[kontextmaschine]

::thinks about ritual bathing/cleansing in major world religions::

Wait a second, if my hair's "no-poo" shampoo-free am I ritually unclean? Can't be, shampoo only spread from India in the 19th century. Am I like, unclean for Mormon purposes or anything?

[nerdygaymormon]

Progress in Church & USA

In 1969 when the Stonewall Riots took place, American society and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were in basically the same place when it came to LGBTQ+ people 

Both have progressed, but the church much more slowly. Where the day-to-day experience of queer people in or out of church was similar, now there is a stark difference

It took time, but the US now takes pro-active steps to protect & include LGBTQ+ people. Meanwhile the church is reactionary, rather than taking a lead and charting a path forward, the church holds to its past and reacts to press about the harm it does to LGBTQ+ people. 

In the USA, being gay and being transgender are no longer classified as mental health illnesses. Gay sex isn’t illegal and same-sex partners can marry each other. Gender identity can be reflected on official documents. It’s illegal to fire someone for being LGBTQ+. LGBTQ+ people are being elected to positions at the local and state level. There’s more work that needs to be done, but things are going in the right direction.

Meanwhile, in the church, just last year the Handbook added language to address trans people and transitioning and the consequences. In 2016 the church disavowed conversion therapy. Church-owned Deseret Book sells books by gay members (who are single, celibate & follow church policies). For about a decade It’s been okay to use the labels gay, trans, bi and lesbian. Apostles now speak out against bullying LGBTQ+ people and even say there’s a place for queer people in church. 

However, no major changes to church policies have taken place to reflect the newer, kinder language. 

The difference between the “world” and the church is growing wider. Church is still working on language and the stopping the worst of the harm it once did, while the wider society is bestowing rights, protections and acceptance. 

Increasingly families are deciding to protect their queer children at church and stand by them. They want their children to be fully and equally included in church and are speaking up. When that doesn’t happen, many leave together. If my child isn’t fully welcome, then my family doesn’t feel welcome.

Change is coming and it seems to be coming from the membership who are insisting the church leadership do better.

[districofcolumbiaprelawland-blog]

Public Health vs. Constitutional Rights: Religious Debates During A Time Of Crisis

By Alessandra Ruano, George Washington University Class of 2021

June 2, 2020

The global COVID-19 pandemic has halted day-to-day activity as we know it. Local businesses have shut down, educational institutions have moved online, and hundreds of thousands of Americans have been left unemployed. By May 24, 1,300 legal complaints related to the pandemic had been filed in the United States [1]. While many institutions have faced legal issues over the last few months due to this unprecedented shutdown, one particular aspect of our society has experienced its own unique set of problems: religious institutions. Many view religion as a fundamental part of American culture, with the freedom of religion established in the First Amendment of the Constitution. As a result of this protection, however, several states are experiencing lawsuits regarding access to religious services, even as states reopen.

Many Americans have been angered by their states’ responses to the virus, with some claiming that religious services should be deemed essential. Others have disagreed with how states are reopening, as many businesses across the country have been allowed to reopen while churches remain closed or at reduced capacity. Officials argue that religious services pose a unique risk of contracting the virus because activities associated with these gatherings, such as singing or drinking from the same cup, increase the possibility of transmission. As a result, many U.S. COVID-19 cases have been associated with religious services. One example can be found in California’s Sacramento County, where one third of its 314 cases were traced to church services in early April, before the shutdown took effect [2].

Across the country, some religious institutions have resisted stay-at-home orders, with places of worship and citizens alike taking legal action against public health measures. However, the results of these lawsuits may vary drastically from state to state. In Kansas, a federal judge ruled that Governor Laura Kelly’s restriction on in-person religious services with more than 10 people violated the First Amendment right of religious freedom [3]. On the other hand, in Virginia, another federal judge sided with Governor Ralph Northam after officials brought a criminal citation against a pastor for holding a Palm Sunday service in violation of social distancing guidelines [4]. These inconsistencies in the application of stay-at-home orders and reopening measures have arisen primarily due to the federalist system. According to this structure, states are allowed to approach these matters in different ways. In the same vein, federal judges use their own discretion to determine how to rule in these types of cases. Thus, unless any of these lawsuits proceed to a higher court that either accepts or overrules one of the lower courts’ decisions, the results of such cases will likely remain inconsistent.

A California case has already made it to the Supreme Court. On May 29, the Court allowed Governor Gavin Newsom’s restrictions to proceed after a Pentecostal church protested the state’s 25% cap on in-person services. In a 5-4 decision, Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the liberal judges and wrote that these restrictions are constitutional because they do not single out places of worship, pointing to other restricted events “where large groups of people gather in close proximity for extended periods of time” such as sporting events or movie screenings. However, he also stated that the issue of how to handle the question of reopening is best left to state governments [5]. Therefore, it is likely the varied responses from state to state will continue.

While much of the outrage has been directed towards the government, places of worship themselves fear backlash from their communities as social distancing guidelines loosen. On May 12, the First Liberty Institute, a non-profit organization that aims to defend religious liberties in the legal sphere, wrote a letter to Congress requesting legislation granting full or partial immunity to religious institutions should lawsuits related to the pandemic arise. It suggests policies similar to those implemented for essential services such as “a gross negligence or willful misconduct standard” [6]. These terms essentially imply actions that are reckless and those that intentionally violate a certain policy, respectively. Without such protections, the letter argues, many institutions fear reopening due to the cost of litigation, even if the charges against them ultimately fail to hold up in court [7].One challenge that arises when addressing gross negligence or willful misconduct claims is the difficulty of proving them [8]. Hence, many members of Congress believe that any legislation offering protection to religious institutions would be too extreme, letting them off the hook too easily and encouraging more reckless action. Meanwhile, others argue that small religious communities should not suffer for fear of a pandemic that can spread in many different public locations, not just places of worship. Although key congressional leaders like Mitch McConnell have expressed openness to addressing liability concerns, they have not yet introduced legislation. Even if this occurs, it may struggle to pass through Congress due to the partisan nature of the question at hand. In the meantime, some states such as Utah have already added protections for religious institutions, and many groups across the country have offered these institutions legal advice on how to safely reopen [7].

It is clear that the question of how to handle religious freedom during a time of unprecedented global crisis has created legal concerns for state governments and religious institutions alike. The results of these concerns have varied across the country and will likely continue to do so without concrete federal action. How far do constitutional freedoms extend when public health is at risk? Many states have already found their answer. It remains to be seen whether the federal government will allow these answers to stand, or whether it will unify the country under one single response to this question.

________________________________________________________________

Alessandra Ruano is a senior at George Washington University. She is majoring in International Affairs and minoring in Public Health and History.

________________________________________________________________

1.     AFP. “Coronavirus: Covid-19 Lawsuits Spreading like a Virus through US Courts.” Khaleej Times, Galadari Printing and Publishing LLC, May 24, 2020.https://www.khaleejtimes.com/coronavirus-pandemic/coronavirus-covid-19-lawsuits-spreading-like-a-virus-through-us-courts.

2.     Flores, Hilda. “One-Third of COVID-19 Cases in Sac County tied to Church Gatherings, Officials Say.” KCRA News, Hearst Television, Inc. https://www.kcra.com/article/sacramento-county-one-third-of-covid-19-cases-tied-church-gatherings-officials-say/32011107.

3.     Associated Press. “Federal Judge Blocks Kansas Limits on Religious Gatherings.” NBC News, NBC Universal. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/federal-judge-blocks-kansas-limits-religious-gatherings-n1187186.

4.     Khurana, Mansee. “The Right to Worship: Church and State Clash over Religious Services in the Coronavirus Era.” NBC News, NBC Universal. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/right-worship-church-state-clash-over-religious-services-coronavirus-era-n1201626.

5.     Barnes, Robert. “Supreme Court, in Rare Late-Night Ruling, says California May Enforce Certain Restrictions on Religious Gatherings.” LMT Online, Laredo Morning Times. https://www.lmtonline.com/news/article/Supreme-Court-in-rare-late-night-ruling-says-15305202.php.

6.     Shackelford, Kelly and Michael Berry. “Written Statement of First Liberty Institute.” First Liberty Institute, May 12, 2020.https://firstliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/FLI-COVID-19-Written-Testimony-SJC-05.12.20.pdf.

7.     Dallas, Kelsey. “Congress May Protect Businesses from Coronavirus Lawsuits. Should It Grant Immunity to Most Churches, Too?” Deseret News, Deseret News Publishing Company, May 20, 2020. https://www.deseret.com/indepth/2020/5/20/21263803/coronavirus-utah-congress-liability-protections-business-church-property-lawsuit-immunity.

Wheeler, Lydia and Valerie Bauman. “Coronavirus Liability Shields for Nursing Homes Only Go So Far.” Bloomberg Law, April 24, 2020. https://news.bloomberglaw.com/health-law-and-business/coronavirus-liability-shields-for-nursing-homes-only-go-so-far

Photo Credit: Staff Sgt. Joshua Joseph Magbanua

[claroquequiza]

I’m trying not to turn this into an anti-Mormon rantblog, but guys, sometimes it’s super hard. The Salt Lake Tribune has been running a series of articles about the Mormon church’s finances, which are very hard to research because the church discloses as little as it possibly can about its finances, but it probably has around $40 billion in total assets and brings in about $8 billion of revenue from all the businesses it owns. Meanwhile, I just found an article from the church-owned and operated Deseret News where a Mormon apostle is just so proud to say that the church donates about $40 million a year to charity and welfare every year.

0.01% of its assets. A year.

This from a church where you can’t go to the temple and do things like get married unless you give 10% of your gross income to the church.

The church almost certainly spends more than just $40 million on various charity-related things, even I can grant it that much, but almost certainly nowhere near the $800 million it would if it wanted to sacrifice as much as it requires its members to. Uguggghghghgghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

[cksmart-world]

The Completely Unnecessary News Analysis

by Christopher Smart

April 30, 2019

FREEZING MIKE LEE'S SPERM

& CHRIS STEWART: I'M NO TRAITOR

Good news: A new fertility service will freeze sperm so that it can be used after the donor's prime and even long after his death. Bad news: It's coming to Utah. Worse news: Mike Lee may want to take advantage because, as he said on the floor of the U.S. Senate, the solution to the world's problems is more babies. How many Mike Lees do we need, anyway?  For decades, women have been able to freeze their eggs, largely because they didn't know any men they dared reproduce with. But, who knows, a miracle could happen later and Mister Right may show up. Thaw out the eggs and away you go. Freezing of sperm appears to be a little different because it's common knowledge that men will attempt to reproduce with just about anything. Did you know your DNA is 3 percent Neanderthal? As revealed by genetic data from male Homo sapiens, big redheads with calloused knuckles aren't all that bad. Who knows what this will do to new genealogy concerns, like 23andMe and ancestry.com. My mother never met my father, but apparently he was related to Mike Lee — no wait, he was Mike Lee. Your father was Mike Lee, too? OMG, we're siblings. Your right, Wilson, it's probably too late for Orrin Hatch to freeze his sperm. But that's a good thing.

Psychiatric Report: Trump Too Incompetent To Collude

Donald Trump is, apparently, too dumb to be a criminal. Who knew? That is the analysis of a group of psychiatrists based on Trump's “reckless” response to the Mueller investigation, which, of course, did include instances of obstruction of justice. He is unable to rationally process risk, according to their findings, and is so preoccupied with himself that he often can't consider the good of the nation. The report's five authors are among 37 other mental health specialists who wrote “The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump” published in 2017. The subtitle of the new report is, “If One is Too Incompetent to Commit a Crime, Despite Trying Hard, Is One Competent to be President?” What ever happened to our “Stable Genius?” Meanwhile, Trump took to Sean Hannity to point to what he insists is the real crime: A coup d'etat planned by former FBI directors James Comey and Andrew McCabe, former CIA director John Brennan and former national intelligence director James Clapper. The Mueller investigation, Trump exclaimed, “was an attempted to overthrow the United States government.” Who to believe, those crazy psychiatrists or Your President? You choose.

Religious Couples Have Better Sex

Religion does not take the bang out of banging. So says a new study by researchers at BYU and Baylor University. And who would know better than BYU researchers? Wonder what the school's Honor Code strike force has to say about that? The findings are reported in the journal Psychology of Religion and Spirituality — the go-to guide for sex since the Playboy Advisor went belly up (no pun intended). As reported in the Mormon Church-owned Deseret News, the findings run counter to the common social narrative that religion is a bucket of cold water on sex in marriage. By contrast, the study's in-depth analysis revealed that when churchy couples get it on, they really get it on. This, of course, is hard for the staff here at Smart Bomb to get our heads around, being dedicated Pagans and everything. Nonetheless, the new research focused on “satisfaction,” that researchers said imbues sex with a religious significance — “a connection with God.” No, Wilson, this is not the same kind of spirituality the band gets through sex, drugs and rock 'n roll. Hedonism and Mormonism — not the same, at all.

Chris Stewart: I'm No Traitor

Our brilliant congressman, Chris Stewart, is totally bummed out that people have called him a traitor for insisting there was a Deep State conspiracy to dethone Donald Trump. He told Wolf Blitzer on CNN that just because he said the intelligence community was out to stage a coup to overthrow Trump doesn't mean that all FBI and CIA agents are bad. How could they possibly make that inference, he wondered. The failed coup, disguised as the Mueller report, is a little embarrassing, the congressman conceded because it captures the president in an unflattering light. But it doesn't reveal anything illegal, he argued. There was no conspiring with the Russians or obstructing the investigation that tied Trump's campaign to Vladimir Putin. And now, Stewart told Blitzer, it's time to get over it: “The American people are exhausted by this.”  And, of course, he must be right. How many times can you hear that the report enumerated nefarious activities that point to obstruction of justice. And who wants to know that it paints a picture of a president who holds the law in contempt. “I think Democrats are handing the president the greatest gift they could give him in the 2020 election,” Stewart said. Impeachment. Stupid Democrats.

Well, that does it for another week here at Smart Bomb, where the staff is counting down the weeks to the 2020 election, so that you don't have to: only 87 more to go. According to the Washington Post, our president just past the 10,000 mark of lies and falsehoods since taking office on Jan. 20, 2017. Just think how many more he can spit out by election day. Can he break 20,000? It's probably a good thing that Trump supporters, like Mike Lee and Chris Stewart, don't care about the president's lies. In fact, last week, Sen. Lee said President Trump has done more to restore liberty than another president in modern times. To that, we can add exactly nothing.

OK, Wilson, wake up the band and take us out with something to gird our loins for the rocky road ahead: Half wracked prejudice leaped forth / "Rip down all hate" I screamed / Lies that life is black and white / Spoke from my skull. I dreamed / Romantic flanks of musketeers / Foundationed deep, somehow / Ah but I was so much older then / I'm younger than that now...

[zhumeimv]

The Truth About Brandon Lee Finally Revealed

The Truth About Brandon Lee Finally Revealed

Date: 2020-01-20 18:00:01

[aoa id=’0′][dn_wp_yt_youtube_source type=”101″ id=”6VkGkgu815c”][/aoa]

All these years after his accidental death in March 1993, Brandon Lee continues to fascinate fans both new and old. Son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, the actor is best known for his truly haunting performance in the goth-tinged 1994 film The Crow.

Here’s everything you need to know about Brandon…

[northernnba]

NBA teams complete NBL sweep despite frights from Perth, Adelaide - Herald Sun

Herald Sun

NBA teams complete NBL sweep despite frights from Perth, Adelaide Herald Sun Meanwhile, Melbourne were competitive for much of the first half before being blown away in a brutal third quarter which led to the 120-82 beatdown in Toronto. Chris Goulding overcame an ankle injury to be Melbourne's equal leading scorer, equal with ... Utah Jazz's Joe Ingles feels he's best shooter in NBA: 'I honestly feel like they're all going to go in'Deseret News all 18 news articles »

[kontextmaschine]

you know who would probably make amazing daygame PUAs? ex-mormons

Well, do they?

Here in Portland we're close enough to Deseret that we're where a lot of exmos exfiltrate to, or at least did in the 2010s when unlike SF or Seattle we were still a west coast city people could afford.

The girls, at least, remind me of the start of that song Forgiven off of Jagged Little Pill: You know how us Catholic girls can be/We make up for so much time a little too late